The present invention relates to an improved disposable glass syringe and to its method of manufacture. More particularly, a disposable, single use, one charge, glass syringe is provided which is easily manufactured by automatic machinery using a minimum number of steps. A glass, one charge dose, disposable syringe is provided which is useful for a variety of dosage sizes including relatively small dosages and the medicine may be stored in-situ in the disposable syringe for long periods without any contamination from the syringe itself.
The everyday practice of medicine necessitates the use of a syringe for injectable medicines. However, the cost of the syringe due to the common methods of manufacture prohibit its disposal, and it must be cleaned each time after use to prevent contamination from patient to patient.
Disposable syringes are in use today but they are universally made of plastics. This necessitates the current system of transferring medicine from a vial container to the syringe just prior to use. This also necessitates discarding that portion of the vial which is inadequate for a full dose because of batch control limitations in hospitals. Both of these factors contribute to cost of injectable medications.
It has been found that logistic controls such as inventory, data monitoring, transfer handling, and contamination contribute to a doubling of the cost of injectable medication. What is needed is a disposable syringe containing the exact dosage required without the necessity of transfer handling.
However, syringes of a plastic-like nature introduce new problems in the area, i.e. long term storage problems. On storage of a sustained time nature, the medication is liable to be contaminated by plastic leaching. Therefore, the disposable syringes of the art are limited to use immediately subsequent to charging the same with the medication. Thus, we are again encountered by transfer handling, and the logistics which raise the cost of injectable medication.
Glass and stainless steel have a long term acceptable history both as syringes and as a means of storing medication. However, the costs of such syringes are prohibitive prior to this because of the expensive methods of manufacture. One of the expensive steps in manufacture is the fastening of the hypothermic needle to the barrel body of the syringe, and this presents problems itself. One method to reduce cost was to use adhesives. However, adhesives for this purpose introduce a new interface, and is relatively unknown when considering the long term effects on storage of the medication. Some have attempted to bond the needle directly to the glass. However, the temperatures required discolored the stainless steel, it could lose its temper, and the facts of carbon deposits negate this approach.
The process of the present invention answers the needs of the art. The system of fabricating the syringe by this method significantly reduces the cost of a syringe, and it is now possible to have a glass syringe which is disposable, and acceptable as a medication charged unit over a long term period.
The disposable, one unit, single use glass syringe in accordance with the present invention, is useful in replacing present syringes which are now almost manufactured of plastic. These present plastic syringes have been found to have a number of drawbacks including the tendency of the plastic materials to contaminate the medicine as a result of plastic leaching. This problem is eliminated by the use of applicant's glass material and contamination free unit dose syringes are produced using contamination free glass and steel as well as a certain amount of silicone rubber in the plunger sealing portions.
The syringe structure and its method of manufacture, in accordance with the present invention, require only a limited number of relatively simple manufacturing or assembly steps which are readily performed on automatic glass manufacturing machinery. This results in the provision of a disposable syringe which has the advantage of overcoming in-situ storage contamination of the medication at a modest manufacturing cost. The syringe structure and method of assembly also are adapted to convenient coding or identification through the use of colored plastic gripping sleeves which are readily applied during the syringe manufacturing steps.
The improved glass syringe in accordance with the present invention comprises a generally tubular barrel-like body portion which may be cut from glass tubing of a right circular cylindrical variety and a similar tubular glass bead which is used to mount and to seal a needle into the barrel-like syringe body. Both the bead and the barrel of the syringe body are made from common stock of a right circular hollow cylindrical tube.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved glass disposable single use, medication charged syringe.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive glass disposable syringe in which the medication may be stored prior to use over extended periods of time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass disposable syringe wherein the body portion is assembled with a minimum of steps such as cutting and fusing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass disposable one unit charge syringe adapted for accomodating a variety of amounts of medication including relatively small dosages such as one quarter cc. during manufacture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass disposable, medication charged syringe which is contamination free relative the charged medication even after extended storage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a glass disposable syringe which is adapted for relatively simple and reliable color coding by a gripping sleeve means.
A still further object is a disposable, single use, charged syringe which eliminates transfer handling common today in hospitals.
A still further object is a syringe which significantly cuts the costs of injectable medication.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become more apparent upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.